Depeche Mode keeps it fresh on last stop in North America

What feels like a century ago, we used to head downtown in a big blue Plymouth and slip through the doors of Flashback with fake IDs, adding fresh meat to the hissing chemical smokescreen of the energized dance floor.

Religiously and without fail, Depeche Mode echoed through the strobe chamber as those in leather and black pantyhose thrashed about — an unapologetic soundtrack to the delightfully queer-fusion future reality emerging. The band was an important sort of proto-GSA with anthems of equality and frustration and overt sexuality.

Many times since 1980 has Depeche Mode almost not made it into the present through their 100-million-sold albums, and their first show in Edmonton Friday night was also the last on the North American Global Spirit tour.

Down to a peace sign on tour drummer Christian Eigner’s kit, the night’s theme was “revolution” — though hardly as overtly as Roger Waters’ call to topple every wall that stands earlier in the week in the same downtown arena.

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Over two-plus hours, the U.K. electro-pop band sufficiently-enough then very-much entertained the 13,500 fans, the set leaning heavily on their new album Spirit, the widest-reaching political statement of their career. And why not? These are confrontational times, a fight waiting on every tiny screen.

After the best, trippiest electro warm-up elevator music possible, the show began with the (canned) Beatles’ Revolution, singer Dave Gahan emerging in silhouette up a level on a balcony-tiered theatre screen in front of colourful modern art.

Here, he spread his arms wide to the greatest wave of applause the band would get for about 45 minutes, when they finally unleashed World in My Eyes off 1990’s world-gripping Violator.

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The night was rather like that, a byproduct of having 14 albums from which to draw — yet everyone was anxious to visit the ancient landmarks like People Are People and Just Can’t Get Enough they grew up yelping in the clubs, hoping to maybe someday give Martin Gore a hug to cheer him up.

With banter mostly being of the “thank you” and “how are you, insert city name?” type, two really strong new songs kicked open the show. First was the scorn-filled Going Backwards, which observed what Devo’s been saying all along about our regress, followed by the arena-ready So Much Love.

As the first wave of documentary phone-shakers calmed down, Gahan slipped some of Grandmaster Flash’s The Message into Barrel of a Gun, did a fine job on the kinda metal Corrupt, and then it was watch the big screen video as a male and female dancer made living together as a couple look as emotionally torturous as humanly possible during the heavy In Your Room.

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World in My Eyes flicked on the already-up-and-dancing crowd like a big metal switch, Gahan running out onto the thrust stage, holding his mic stand up and grinning, “You know that one!” Though Gore — early on holding an amazing sparkly star-shaped guitar — was mostly still through the night, he and Gahan had a delightfully childish vibe, the latter twirling and posing like a playground fusion of John Waters and Freddy Mercury, his tattoos dripping with sweat.

Cover Me, I’d say the best song on the new album, had that great sequencer outro. Eigner did a commendable job playing to the click track all night as the immovable loops whirled about, while Andy Fletcher raised up doing keys. The video for this was the night’s best, too, Gahan slumping around suburbia black and white in a spacesuit, dreaming of the stars, and eventually — enough of that noise — just walking straight into the ocean.

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Besides the fundamental hits, the other must-remember part of this show was Gore’s tender and vulnerable ballads when he took over singing, starting with A Question of Lust. This was a near total audience singalong, followed by the also-soft Home as one guy up in crowd was noticed by all, windmilling his arms, utterly swept away. Lovely, and around now I realized, oh yeah, some of these outfits, like the Orange is the New Black ladies, are because it’s almost Halloween — not real inmates out on an Friday-night pass.

Gore, black-lidded and with a huge smile, ran out to the tip of the catwalk, the band’s eternally semi-secret star soaking up his love.

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Gahan returned for hand and pencil-goatee face theatrics for a song he wrote, Poison Heart, then the loud and disappointed Where’s the Revolution, written pre-Brexit/Trump, and a definite “be careful what you wish for” moment as revolutions never go quite as hoped, unless you ask the vultures.

Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode at Rogers Place.Larry Wong

The 55-year-old singer in his vest did a yoga stretch for 2009’s sad-techno Wrong, and again the switch flipped on for Everything Counts. This was as far back as the band went, not counting a 1977 cover in the encore. Fans of Dreaming of Me, New Life and Just Can’t Get Enough would have to play those on the way home.

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Mind you, Enjoy the Silence — a gorgeous video of farm animals behind — and Never Let Me Down Again were beautiful, Gahan the elastic spider moving his arms around like a window washer after a few too many key bumps.

I was looking forward to openers Warpaint, the innovative, all-female L.A. art rock band, and they were terrific and daring, the techs being generous with the slight sparkly show. Layered and switching instruments every song, besides the harmonies Stella Mozgawa deserves a nod for her powerful drumming. The band was actually kind of scary at times between the sweetness. Elephants, Love Is to Die and New Song were all brilliant, so do look them up.

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For Depeche Mode’s five-song encore, it was back to Gore for another piano-driven singalong, Somebody. Walking in My Shoes led to Gahan performing the song that got him into the band, David Bowie’s “Heroes” — the flag that had been onscreen repeatedly during the night black for the fallen (or is that risen?) star. Gahan posed with arms on hips, hair starting to curl like Grandpa Munster’s, pointing to someone in the crowd singing, “You could be me,” between mentions of dolphins. Summoning heroes again brought us back to our revolution theme.

I Feel You was the most U2 moment of the night, especially via the words “I” and “you,” their eternal specialty, and — you guessed it — the night ended with Personal Jesus.

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OK, more of the old songs needed? I’d for sure take them, but I dunno. Like Harvey Keitel to Willem Dafoe in Last Temptation of Christ after he came down from the cross, I’ve got my faith covered no matter what happens in the present.

The Gore-Gahan baton-passing was great, Andy Fletcher was solid, there was an engaging video show, amazing opening act, and, though a little tired after a long tour, the band seemed pretty plugged in and interested. What more can you ask for, an actual revolution? It had to be 1983 again? But think of how much you’d miss seeing your own face mirrored and edited on your phone!